Salt and fresh water creature traps, hereinafter, for simplicity, together referred to as marine creature traps, have been used for a long time. Early traps, for example, were formed of a rigid space frame structure having enclosing walls of net or grid-like material with an opening therein which permitted a creature to enter the trap and to hinder the creature from leaving the trap. While such traps have been satisfactory in many applications, such rigid traps become a storage and transportation problem especially when used by an individual having limited space or when used in large quantities on a commercial fishing vessel. Additionally such prior art traps because of their configuration and/or weight are difficult if not impossible to use in commercial operations where large quantities of the traps are strung together to facilitate deployment and recovery of the traps.
To reduce the storage and transportation problems of rigid traps, various folding or collapsible traps have been devised. Examples of such prior art collapsible traps are disclosed in the following U.S. Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 1,407,744 to Ftyklo; U.S. Pat. No. 1,958,724 to Slanislaw; U.S. Pat. No. 1,985,177 to Lawrence and U.S. Pat. No. 2,716,304 to Taylor. Additionally U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,325 to Aho discloses a folding trap having a folding frame fitted within a net resembling a bag, the net having an opening which permits creatures to enter the trap and hinders them from leaving the trap. Frame members are hinged together adjacent mid positions thereof to permit swinging between folded and erected positions. Resilient extension links extend between frame members and are strained when the frame is folded so as to tend to erect the trap. A releasable retainer retains the trap in folded position against force from extension means, and a limiter limits swinging of the frame members in erected positions.
While the above referred to collapsible traps have disclosed various improvements in collapsible traps, it has become desirable to provide an improved collapsible marine trap having a simple, uncomplicated structure which minimizes weight and components and which is easily erected and collapsed manually without the need of complicated, expensive and time consuming devices.
Accordingly a desirable object of the present invention is to provide an improved collapsible marine trap.
A still further desirable object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible marine trap which is easy to deploy and recover in large quantities.
A further desirable object of the present invention is to provide an improved marine trap which is designed in a novel manner whereby it may be easily collapsed into a substantially flat mode when desired for storage or transportation and easily erected to the use mode.
A still further desirable object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible trap characterized by a net and a folding frame disposed within and attached to the net, the net having an entrance including a first opening to permit water creatures to enter the trap and to hinder leaving the trap and a second opening for removal of said creatures. The trap has a generally spheroidal configured side surface but with approximately flat top and bottom portions and is ecomonical to construct and easy to operate.
The above and other desired objects, apparent from the drawings and following description, may be attained by the apparatus, construction, arrangements and combinations, subcombinations and parts which comprise the present invention, preferred embodiments of which are illustrative of the mode in which applicant has contemplated applying the principal, being set forth in detail in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.